disingenuous
adjective
dis·in·gen·u·ous
ˌdis-in-ˈjen-yə-wəs 
-yü-əs
: lacking in candor
also
: giving a false appearance of simple frankness : calculating
disingenuously
adverb
disingenuousness
noun
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A disingenuous remark might contain some superficial truth, but it is delivered with the intent to deceive or to serve some hidden purpose. Its base word ingenuous (derived from a Latin adjective meaning "native" or "freeborn") can describe someone who, like a child, is innocent or lacking guile or craftiness. English speakers began frequently joining the negative prefix dis- with ingenuous to create disingenuous during the 17th century.
Examples of disingenuous in a Sentence
"It's had nine murders since 1937—about the same as you would get in many small towns." This was correct, but a wee disingenuous. The AT [Appalachian Trail] had no murders in its first thirty-six years and nine in the past twenty-two.
—
Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods, 1999
… and he egged Badger on, asking a disingenuous question about the antivivisection rally in Cleveland, and as Badger took the thought up and chewed it over, the Doctor made as if to excuse himself.
—T. Coraghessan Boyle, The Road to Wellville, 1993
… he has a disingenuous way of resorting to slang when he wants to make a big point but is afraid of sounding pretentious.
—Karen Schoemer, New York Times Book Review, 31 Oct. 1993
Unity is at best an ideal, at worst a disingenuous political slogan.
—Salman Rushdie, The Independent on Sunday, 25 Nov. 1990
Her recent expressions of concern are self-serving and disingenuous.
Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods, 1999
… and he egged Badger on, asking a disingenuous question about the antivivisection rally in Cleveland, and as Badger took the thought up and chewed it over, the Doctor made as if to excuse himself.
—T. Coraghessan Boyle, The Road to Wellville, 1993
… he has a disingenuous way of resorting to slang when he wants to make a big point but is afraid of sounding pretentious.
—Karen Schoemer, New York Times Book Review, 31 Oct. 1993
Unity is at best an ideal, at worst a disingenuous political slogan.
—Salman Rushdie, The Independent on Sunday, 25 Nov. 1990
Her recent expressions of concern are self-serving and disingenuous.
Recent Examples on the Web
Cena has been the most generic heel WWE could have possibly booked him as, and the character as a whole feels completely disingenuous.
—Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 10 May 2025
In 2019, Chief Justice John Roberts, joining with the liberal Justices to form a five-person majority, rejected the Administration’s disingenuous effort to add a question about citizenship to the census.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
Gaetz tried to spin this bill as a win, claiming shuttered schools could become affordable housing for teachers and first responders, but that’s disingenuous.
—Anne Tressler, Sun Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2025
There’s a case to be made that those numbers are skewed because Sanders took so many sacks, and therefore did not risk incompletions, but that’s probably a bit disingenuous.
—Derrik Klassen, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disingenuous
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Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 10 May 2025
In 2019, Chief Justice John Roberts, joining with the liberal Justices to form a five-person majority, rejected the Administration’s disingenuous effort to add a question about citizenship to the census.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
Gaetz tried to spin this bill as a win, claiming shuttered schools could become affordable housing for teachers and first responders, but that’s disingenuous.
—Anne Tressler, Sun Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2025
There’s a case to be made that those numbers are skewed because Sanders took so many sacks, and therefore did not risk incompletions, but that’s probably a bit disingenuous.
—Derrik Klassen, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disingenuous
Cite this Entry
“Disingenuous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disingenuous. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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